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Soviet Union [USSR] Chemical Planning Goals
Soviet industrial planners have recognized that a hightechnology chemical industry is indispensable for advancement in
both heavy and light industry. Although Soviet chemical engineering
has advanced in such areas as composite materials, which are used
to make lighter airplanes, and photochemicals, major projects have
depended heavily on foreign technology.
Because of the critical role of the chemical industry in
technological advancement, a major campaign in the 1980s was aimed
at improving domestic technology and reducing dependence on foreign
technology in the chemical and petrochemical industry. In 1984
thirty-two scientific research institutes were conducting major
petrochemical research under the academies of sciences. But the
technical and investment contributions of British, French,
Japanese, East German, West German, Italian, and Hungarian chemical
firms remained crucial during that time. Many divisions of Soviet
industry failed to produce as planned through the early 1980s, and
massive investment did not have the expected effect. The goal for
the year 2000 remained an overall increase of 2.4 times the 1980
level and that required a doubling of investments before 1990.
Data as of May 1989
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